Body Shop: Time for new shoes? 5 tips for finding the best fit - Marine Corps Off Duty | health, fitness, gear, gadgets, sports, travel - Marine Corps Times

Body Shop: Time for new shoes? 5 tips for finding the best fit

Those ratty running shoes you’ve owned since boot camp won’t cut it if you want to score well on your fitness test. Lacing up the right shoes could improve your run time and help you avoid achy knees and sore feet.

Matt Miller, a former assistant cross country coach at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., and a doctoral student in the University of Maryland’s Kinesiology Department, shared five tips to get the best shoe for you.

1. When it’s time, it’s time.

Don’t wait to buy a new pair. It’s not about how long you’ve had your running shoes; it’s how many miles you’ve run in them.

Miller said you need a new pair every 300 to 700 miles, depending on your body weight and the surface that you run on. Running in old shoes will doom you to shin splints, back pain and achy knees.

2. Visit the experts.

No set of tips can replace a custom shoe fitting. Many running specialty stores have experts to match your foot with the perfect shoe. Some installations have running clinics where the staff will film you running barefoot and with running shoes before recommending a certain model.

3. Toe room and arch support.

Make sure you have room up front. When you run, your feet swell, so allow at least ¼- to ½-inch from the tip of your toe to the end of the shoe, Miller said.

Don’t forget your arches, either. The arch is the body’s natural shock absorber. Your foot works just like a bridge: While a bridge distributes the weight of passing cars, the arch of your foot distributes the weight of your body.

If you have low arches, invest in arch support. You can buy insoles for as low as $10 at your local drugstore.

4. Motion control.

A motion-control shoe is one that keeps your foot from rolling inward, which can damage ligaments in your feet, knees and hip. Look for grey paneling on the sole of a shoe’s instep to determine whether it features motion control.

A good way to tell whether you need one is by looking at the tread of an old shoe. If the shoe is worn down primarily on the instep, you have a pronation problem, and a motion-control shoe could take away that backache.

5. How much to spend.

You are paying for the cushioning. The pricier a shoe gets, the softer it will feel. Unless you are running more than 30 miles a week, Miller said, spending more than $90 is a waste.

But don’t skimp on a pair, either. An investment in your shoes is an investment in your legs. If the budget allows, try to spend at least $70 on a new pair.